Many Jets players were furious at the number of Steelers fans in attendance at Sunday's game, and during talk radio segments yesterday several of them were openly critical of the fans selling their tickets:
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HOME IS HOSTILE TERRITORY
Jet Notes by Mark Cannizzaro

November 19, 2007 -- Jets tight end Chris Baker sensed something different about yesterday's home game against the Steelers when he stepped onto the field for warm-ups.

"You had no choice but to notice," Baker said of Giants Stadium absolutely taken over by black-and-gold-clad, "Terrible Towel"-waving Steelers fans who bought all the tickets from the apathetic Jets fans who opted not to show up.

"When I came out for warm-ups, I was like, 'Wow, I've never seen this before.' I was definitely shocked, because I've been here for six years and we've had ups and downs, but I've never seen our stadium with more visiting fans than home fans.

"It was motivation for me, because it was irritating to see that many fans for another team in our stadium. That's why I gave them a wave after the game and said, 'Thanks for coming.' "

Safety Kerry Rhodes said, it "ticked us off a little bit," but he added, "their fans made it fun for us."

"It [ticked] us off," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "It was weird. It felt like an away game. It felt good to get a road win."

Linebacker Matt Chatham called the fan issue "a touchy subject," adding, "you don't have to guess how it made us feel about it. We're grateful for the [Jets] fans who were there."

By DAVID PICKER,
The New York Times
Posted: 2007-11-20 10:48:22
Filed Under: NFL (http://sports.aol.com/nfl)
At halftime of the Jets’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, several hundred men lined one of Giants Stadium’s two pedestrian ramps at Gate D. Three deep in some areas, they whistled and jumped up and down. Then they began an obscenity-laced chant, demanding that the few women in the gathering expose their breasts.

When one woman appeared to be on the verge of obliging, the hooting and hollering intensified. But then she walked away, and plastic beer bottles and spit went flying. Boos swept through the crowd of unsatisfied men.

Marco Hoffner, an 18-year-old from Lacey Township, N.J., was expecting to see more. Not from the Jets — they pulled off a big upset over the Steelers. He wanted more from the alternative halftime show that, according to many fans, has been a staple at Jets home games for years.

“Very disappointed, because we’re used to seeing a lot,” Hoffner said.

The mood of previous Gate D crowds — captured on video clips posted on YouTube — sometimes bordered on hostile, not unlike the spirit of infamously aggressive European soccer hooligans. One clip online shows a woman being groped by a man standing next to her.

Sunday’s scene played out for about 20 minutes, and at least one woman granted the men’s request, setting off a roar as if the former star running back Curtis Martin had just scored a touchdown. Martin was actually nearby, being honored on the field in the official halftime show, which had a far less intense audience.

Throughout halftime, about 10 security guards in yellow jackets stood near the bottom of the circular, multilevel ramp, located beyond the stadium’s concourse of concession stands and restrooms. One of the guards was smoking a cigarette; many fans do the same during halftime on the giant ramps, which are located at each corner of the stadium. Another guard later said they were not permitted to do anything about the chants at Gate D because of free speech laws. Yet when a reporter tried to interview two security guards after halftime, he was detained in a holding room, threatened with arrest and asked to hand over his tape recorder.

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which provides security at Giants Stadium for Jets and Giants games, is aware of the raucous and raunchy halftime show. Patrick C. Aramini, the authority’s vice president for security, parking and traffic for the Meadowlands Sports Complex, said men and women could be expelled and even turned over to the New Jersey State Police to be arrested for their participation — although he said he did not know if anyone was cited Sunday. He added that other measures, like blocking access to the ramps, were being considered.

“The problem is, you got to watch four or five hundred people sometimes in the one particular spiral,” Aramini said.

“What do we do, arrest everybody that starts chanting?”

Such fan behavior is not uncommon at other sporting events in the United States, like Nascar races and the infield at the Kentucky Derby. There was even an infamous undressing in the National Football League’s marquee event: during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, a “wardrobe malfunction” exposed Janet Jackson’s right breast before a worldwide televised audience.

But the Gate D tradition at Giants Stadium apparently is unique to Jets games; the Gate D ramps are comparatively empty at Giants games. Perhaps forlorn Jets fans, who have rarely had a winning team to support, are seeking alternative entertainment on game days.

“This is the game,” said Patrick Scofield, a 20-year-old from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who has attended several Jets games the last two seasons.

Denisse Rivera, a 23-year-old from the Bronx, was on a first date Sunday. When she arrived at the crowd at Gate D, several men pointed at her, signaling men at all levels to chant in her direction. After a brief moment of hesitation, she flashed them. Then she took a bow.

“I don’t care,” Rivera said when told that video clips of previous incidents, taken on cellphones, ended up online. “I love my body and I like what I have, so let everybody share it.”

Two security guards soon approached Rivera. The guards warned her about indecent exposure laws, she said, and let her go.

Jets officials declined to be interviewed about the halftime tradition at their home games. In a statement, the team said: “We expect our fans to comply with all rules at the stadium, and the vast majority do. For those who don’t, we expect and encourage N.J.S.E.A. security to take appropriate action.”

Greg Aiello, an N.F.L. spokesman, said, “I would defer any comment to law enforcement and the people on the stadium authority there that are in charge of fan-conduct issues.”

[The State Police staffs every Jets home game. But Sgt. Stephen Jones, a spokesman, said the State Police did not make an attempt to prevent fans from congregating in Giants Stadium. But he said that there were incidents of fans throwing money into the center of the spiral ramps. Those fans then threw objects at children picking up the money. Access to the center of the ramps is now blocked off by a chain-link fence.

“Our emphasis is certainly not general security,” Jones said. “Something like you’re describing, the stairwell behavior, is a matter that the security would handle. Now if they come up with something where somebody needs to be arrested, the troops will go out there and affect that arrest.”

Some parents are not pleased with the halftime activities away from the field.

Randall Lazzaro, a 40-year-old from New Jersey, attended Sunday’s game with his wife and two sons, ages 6 and 9. He was at the base of Gate D shortly before halftime and said that cursing at games was probably the main reason parents did not want to take their kids to games.

When Lazzaro was told what was about to happen on the ramps at Gate D, he said, “That’s a disgusting practice and the police have to get involved, put a stop to it.”

RoethlisBURGHer

11-20-2007, 01:02 PM

The women that do flash them are just wh0res, no better than the men.

alittlejazzbird

11-20-2007, 02:00 PM

The women that do flash them are just wh0res, no better than the men.

Never underestimate the power that alcohol, mixed with low self-esteem, poor boundaries, and questionable judgment, has on a certain kind of woman:

Denisse Rivera, a 23-year-old from the Bronx, was on a first date Sunday. When she arrived at the crowd at Gate D, several men pointed at her, signaling men at all levels to chant in her direction. After a brief moment of hesitation, she flashed them. Then she took a bow.

“I don’t care,” Rivera said when told that video clips of previous incidents, taken on cellphones, ended up online. “I love my body and I like what I have, so let everybody share it.”

You know what's sad? This girl thinks she's powerful by doing this (and on a first date? are you KIDDING me?), but in reality the men are thinking exactly what you expect they're thinking. What if she ends up in a dangerous situation later, with her date? What has he reasonably been led to expect by her behavior? I know it's off topic, and I apologize for the rant, but she's a perfect example of the narcissistic little wretches that so many 20-somethings have turned into. And the most embarrassing thing is, the parents of these kids are my generation. Ugh.

fansince'76

11-20-2007, 02:06 PM

Denisse Rivera, a 23-year-old from the Bronx, was on a first date Sunday. When she arrived at the crowd at Gate D, several men pointed at her, signaling men at all levels to chant in her direction. After a brief moment of hesitation, she flashed them. Then she took a bow.

?I don?t care,? Rivera said when told that video clips of previous incidents, taken on cellphones, ended up online. ?I love my body and I like what I have, so let everybody share it.?

You know what's sad? This girl thinks she's powerful by doing this (and on a first date? are you KIDDING me....

Just the kinda girl you want to take home to mom....:chuckle:

atrus20

11-20-2007, 02:30 PM

Never underestimate the power that alcohol, mixed with low self-esteem, poor boundaries and being a Jets fan, has on a certain kind of woman:

Fixed that for ya. :wink02:

alittlejazzbird

11-20-2007, 02:53 PM

Fixed that for ya. :wink02:

Niiice. But this girl was on a first date, and my guess is that her date is the unfortunate Jets fan. All Denisse is a fan of is her own bad self.

TackleMeBen

11-20-2007, 06:01 PM

they are right. the infield of nascar races are worse. and for this girl who did this... way to make yourself look like a tramp.. if you want to show off your body... how about calling hugh heffner.. i am sure he could help you out..lol

revefsreleets

11-20-2007, 07:40 PM

Yeah, but at NASCAR races it's still voluntary, not mandatory under penalty of assault.

tony hipchest

11-20-2007, 08:14 PM

"It [ticked] us off," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "It was weird. It felt like an away game. It felt good to get a road win."

:sofunny: that actually really funny. this quote will live in infamy.

Linebacker Matt Chatham called the fan issue "a touchy subject," adding, "you don't have to guess how it made us feel about it. We're grateful for the [Jets] fans who were there." motivation is an amazing thing. i guess thats why they say "any given sunday"

Yet when a reporter tried to interview two security guards after halftime, he was detained in a holding room, threatened with arrest and asked to hand over his tape recorder.